TSMMT Ch 13
- May 27
- 8 min read
The Princess' Birthday Party
[Dianna] "What is he doing?"
The waiting maid hesitated at her question. By "he," she definitely meant the slave. The maid knew because Dianna asked about him constantly.
[Maid] "I…… I heard that slave is working in the barn right now."
[Dianna] "I see. Did anyone beat him?"
[Maid] "I don't know that, My Lady."
Dianna could do nothing until Duke Brienne granted his permission. She wished for time to pass rapidly. A corner of her heart crumbled whenever news of him reached her.
[Maid] "My Lady, why do you care so much about that slave? A precious person like you should only look at beautiful, valuable things."
[Dianna] "……."
She studied the maid's face, searching for any hint of mockery, but the woman spoke with absolute sincerity. The other waiting maids nodded, their expressions strangely earnest.
Dianna let out a cold, mocking laugh. She used to share that exact mindset.
I only need to help Guiscard. No matter what he endures now, I just have to save him in the future. He suffered unfair violence, but so did I.
The monster who murdered my family and siblings deserves to suffer even more. I could easily surrender to this cruel desire for revenge. No one would blame me.
Yet she knew she must not. She had not suffered as much as Guiscard, but her pain remained deep. Smiling at another person's torment was entirely impossible.
That is why this hurts so much. I could kill him, yet I choose this tedious path instead.
Without realizing it, she spoke aloud.
[Dianna] "Because it is wrong."
[Maid] "……."
[Dianna] "They dragged a human being here like a dog and beat him like a dog. I detest that."
The maid stared intently at Dianna, a fracture appearing in her calm expression.
Dianna faced the mirror. The light blue dress with a hint of purple suited her perfectly. The maid, combing her hair, tied it back. As another maid pulled out a necklace, she questioned her.
[Dianna] "By the way, how did you injure your hand?"
Every maid froze instantly. The hand holding the necklace trembled.
[Maid] "I hurt it while cleaning up broken glass."
[Dianna] "Oh dear. I will speak to the head maid, so take two days off to rest."
[Maid] "Oh, no, thank you!"
The maid frantically declined, quickly fastening the necklace around Dianna's neck. It was a milky-white pearl necklace.
Dianna studied the gems, then turned her gaze to the maid. The maid hesitated, an expression of desperate longing to speak covering her face.
[Dianna] "Ah, could you pack my bag?"
[Maid] "Pardon?"
Dianna smiled.
Inside the departing carriage, Dianna's gaze caught Guiscard. He stared directly at her carriage with an empty expression.
The dark-haired boy hovered on the brink of death. His purple eyes sank deeply, resembling a venomous dragon's swamp. Suddenly, their gazes locked.
Is he waiting for me? Even though I only treated a single wound, and I am the daughter of his oppressor?
Dianna dismissed the thought. Her father desired only one thing: to prove her worth as a future daughter-in-law to the royal family. To achieve this, she had to build close relationships with both the princess and the princes.
She faced her father sitting across from her. A bright smile graced his face, signaling that something wonderful had occurred.
[Duke] "Dianna. Don't disappoint your father."
[Dianna] "Of course."
She smiled, unclasped the pearl necklace, and pulled an opal necklace from her bag.
[Duke] "Why are you changing your necklace now?"
[Dianna] "Because this one is much prettier."
Her father possessed little interest in fashion. He accepted her action as a mere child's whim.
Dianna glanced back toward Guiscard once more.
I will protect him when I return. Once I win Father's trust, I will free him. Much earlier than in my past life.
The carriage arrived at the royal palace, and she stepped outside. The palace layout at night stretched before her for the first time in ages.
Holding her father's hand, she walked inside and exchanged nods with the guests.
Although people had once treated her like a deposed queen, she had reigned as the queen of a nation. She knew the proper etiquette: even when encountering acquaintances, one should only converse inside the ballroom unless they shared a close bond.
Duke Brienne widened his eyes at his daughter, who walked with absolute confidence and zero nervousness.
They reached the palace hall, which overflowed with people.
[Herald] "Announcing Duke Brienne!"
At the announcement, the crowd turned to face the Duke. Gazes locked onto Dianna, but her expression remained completely unbothered. Whispers erupted at the appearance of Dianna Brienne.
A pitiful girl who just lost her mother.
That was the crowd's initial thought. Yet, instead of an unstable, grieving child, a perfect lady glided past them.
[Noble 1] "The young lady of the Brienne house truly stands out, doesn't she?"
[Noble 2] "Indeed."
[Noble 3] "She clearly inherited her father's blood."
Her unnatural composure left them marveled. Among the nobles studying her with curiosity stood a boy with bright yellow hair.
[Noble 4] "My Prince, what brings you here?!"
The sudden appearance of the Second Prince, Philip, startled the guests.
[Philip] "Ionia invited me."
Princess Ionia and Philip were half-siblings. Despite that, they shared a much closer bond than Philip did with the First Prince, Ferdinand.
[Philip] "Is she the famous Lady Brienne?"
The nobles nodded at his question. Philip smirked.
[Philip] "She matches this palace perfectly."
The guests desperately sought to curry favor with her father. The Duke handled the approaching nobles with polite, brief greetings.
Those eager to form a connection targeted Dianna instead, showering her with excessive praise and kindness tailored for a child. Dianna gracefully deflected them to avoid causing trouble for her father. Though some grew relentlessly persistent due to her young age, managing them required little effort.
After all, when the entire Lodbrog Kingdom had once been desperate to condemn her, handling this was nothing. Back then, everyone surrounding her viewed her as a performing monkey, taking delight in mocking her.
Hahaha!
The friendly laughter distorted into piercing mockery. Dianna gasped for air, fighting to suppress the panic. Crowds occasionally triggered these sudden attacks.
This is not that place. This is not that hell. Father stands by my side, and these people don't hate me.
She greeted the guests with a bright smile. After some time, she approached the Queen.
The Queen maintained a bored expression, offering a reluctant greeting only when Duke Brienne arrived. However, as her gaze fell upon Dianna, a fracture appeared in the Queen's composed face. Dianna grew tense for the first time tonight.
Princess Ionia stayed in a separate room restricted to women due to her fear of men. Only the Queen's permission granted a guest the right to present a gift. In short, while anyone could attend the grand ball, the authentic birthday celebration required the Queen's strict screening. Offending her meant immediate disqualification.
[Queen] "A young child must be exhausted sitting among adults."
Her quiet reprimand questioned why the Duke brought the young Dianna along. Duke Brienne let out a soft laugh. Dianna's chest tightened.
[Duke] "My daughter works tirelessly to fill her mother's absence."
[Queen] "Are you sure she is not here to meet the Prince?"
[Duke] "How could that be?"
[Dianna] "Your Majesty, please accept my belated greetings."
The Queen shifted her gaze toward Dianna, her eyes sliding down to lock onto the necklace. The opal necklace shimmered brilliantly. The Queen examined it intently.
[Queen] "That is quite a beautiful necklace."
The Queen motioned for Dianna to come closer to inspect the jewelry.
The Queen adored collecting gemstones, holding a special passion for opals. People often said that collecting opals never ended due to their endless variety of shapes. The glittering stone melted the Queen's rigid expression.
[Dianna] "It is my favorite necklace."
[Queen] "Why is that?"
[Dianna] "It holds the sky in one moment and captures the ocean in the next. It remains mysterious and unpredictable, making it endlessly fascinating to admire."
The Queen smiled at her poetic words.
[Queen] "You possess an excellent eye, Lady Brienne. I, too, prefer opals over diamonds. They contain the entire world within them. This piece must be incredibly precious."
[Dianna] "Yes. My mother cherished this necklace deeply."
[Queen] "Is that so?"
Grief clouded Dianna's expression. The Queen's countenance shifted. No matter how maturely she carried herself, Dianna remained a young girl who recently lost her mother.
Remembering the narrow age gap between the Princess and Lady Brienne, the Queen considered the girl wearing her mother's heirloom.
She must have brought her mother's keepsake for comfort because this grand venue frightens her. The Princess would do the same thing.
Sympathy softened the Queen's rigid face, causing Duke Brienne's expression to ease as well.
[Queen] "The Princess resides in her private quarters. Go directly and deliver your gift to her."
Without another word, the Queen generously granted her permission.
Dianna bowed to her father and followed the Queen's maid toward the Princess' room.
She glanced back. Behind Duke Brienne, another aristocratic couple walked forward to greet the Queen. A noblewoman in a blue dress wore a long, double-stranded pearl necklace.
Oh dear, a pearl necklace.
Dianna knew the Queen would reject that couple completely. Pearls were the exact gemstones the Queen despised above all else.
Nobles quietly shared the tragic tale of the Queen's older brother, Lord Liven Dracel, who drowned at sea while attempting to retrieve pearls for his sister.
A proper lady-in-waiting always whispered such vital information to young noble girls. Dianna recalled the pearl necklace she almost wore tonight.
Mirva had selected every single accessory for her. The maid had intentionally tried to fasten that pearl necklace.
Dianna envisioned Mirva's face. This exact incident occurred in her past life; she had appeared before the Queen wearing pearls, which prompted her immediate expulsion. When she confronted Mirva back then, the woman replied with shameless innocence.
[Mirva] "You wanted to wear it, My Lady. Why blame me now?"
Her father, who scolded her severely, believed Mirva's words completely. The other maids all nodded in agreement. Absolute injustice consumed her back then.
Just then, the aristocratic couple wearing pearls rushed past like fugitives, their faces flushed deep crimson. The young Dianna had suffered that exact humiliation.
She let out a sigh, thinking of Mirva. Even if she confronted her about this, the woman would blame another maid or shift the fault back onto Dianna.
You are needlessly shortening your own lifespan. I planned to decide your fate later out of pity, since you died with your limbs severed because of me.
Dianna clicked her tongue and entered the room under the maid's guidance.
At the entrance of Lady Brienne, every eye turned toward her. Women of all ages filled the room, from elderly matrons to fourteen-year-old girls.
Sitting in the center stood Princess Ionia, who looked exactly like the Queen, conversing with her guests.
[Dianna] "I greet Her Royal Highness the Princess."
She offered a bright smile, but the Princess' expression remained dark.
[Ionia] "Another guest?"
Whispers erupted among the crowd at the Princess' sharp response. However, Lady Brienne instantly understood the situation.
The Princess didn't hate her. Dianna knew exactly what she needed to do.
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